Sunday:       24 th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Date:         September 16, 2007
Year:         C
The readings: [Exo. 32:7-11, 13-14; 1 Tim. 1:12-17; Lk. 15:1-32]
The message:  Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Prepared by:  THE CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY
Total words:  2167

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Welcome my brothers and sisters in Christ to today's celebration of the Holy Mass on this beautiful Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today's readings from the Holy Scriptures teach us that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. His message from the Heavenly Father was one of pure love and mercy.

During the First Reading from the Book of Exodus [Exo. 32:7-11, 13-14] that is found in the Old Testament, we heard that while Moses was on Mount Sinai talking to God, the Lord became very upset because His chosen people were acting perversely. They had casted for themselves an image of a calf, worshipped it and sacrificed to it, giving credit to the idol for bringing them out of slavery in the land of Egypt.

Greatly offended by the people for having turned away from the way that He had commanded them, God was prepared to destroy them all, indicating to Moses that He would make a great nation out of him alone. Hearing this, Moses implored God to have mercy on the sinful people, reminding Him of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Israel. If the people is destroyed, God would have broken His promises to their forefathers. The new people would only be descendants of Moses.

Hearing the plea of Moses, God changed His mind and decided not to destroy the people as He had originally planned. As history tells us, the people continued to sin. Consequently, except for two men who remained faithful to God, He punished all six hundred thousand men, [Ex. 12:37] denying them entry into the promised land. [Numb. 14:20-24] Only their descendants received the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. [Jos. 1:1-2]

In Exodus 32:7, when God first spoke to Moses about the perversion of the people, He referred to them as "your people," and no longer as "My people." Here we perceive how God detaches Himself away from those who renounce Him, especially when the credit for the manifestation of Divine power is given to false gods.

While God has no second thought about separating Himself from sinners, in this case, it was because of the personal relationship that Moses enjoyed with God that the Lord showed mercy towards the people. God had that same kind of relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Because of His love for the prophets, God held back His Divine vengeance. Powerful is the intercession of those who live righteously on behalf of those who are unrighteous. It is the intercession of the righteous that draws the mercy of God.

In the days of the Old Testament, Moses, a sinner himself, mediated for the sinful people. Now, we have "one Mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, Himself human, who gave Himself a ransom for all." [1 Tim. 2:5-6] "He is the Mediator of a better Covenant, which has been enacted through better promises. For if that first Covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one." [Heb. 8:6- 7]

There is an important lesson to learn from this reading. Frequently, it is heard that it is alright to sin because Jesus is all loving and merciful. He will forgive our sins. Based on what has just been said, had it not been for Moses, God would have destroyed His people. While Jesus is all loving and merciful, as our only Mediator before the Heavenly Father, will He defend those who voluntarily persist in sin? Did He not institute His Church, appointed its leader and handed over the keys of His Kingdom and its authority? Did He not institute the Sacraments and provided the people with a written record (the Holy Bible) of the spiritual laws by which they must live?

Therefore, as Mediator of mankind before the Heavenly Father, to some extent, is Jesus not bound by the Holy Catholic Church and its doctrines because of the promise that He has made regarding the keys to the Kingdom? If such is the case, while Jesus is our Mediator and will surely provide us with the best legal defence to secure our salvation, is His love and mercy not dependable upon our loyalty and obedience to the Holy Catholic Church?

During today's Second Reading from the First Letter of Paul to Timothy, [1 Tim. 1:12-17] we heard how the mercy of God sanctified St. Paul because he had a sincerity of heart. By the mercy of God, Paul, "formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence," [1 Tim. 1:12] was made "an example to those who would come to believe in (Jesus) for eternal life." [1 Tim. 12:16]

St. Paul began today's reading by expressing his gratefulness to Jesus for the call that he had received to preach the Gospel. He recognized that the grace of our Lord overflowed in him with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [1 Tim. 1:14; Rom. 5:20]

Motivated by zeal to serve God, [Phil. 3:6; 2 Tim. 1:3; Acts 26:9] Paul had bitterly persecuted the Church [Acts 8:1-3] before receiving his calling. [Acts 9:3-6; 1 Cor. 15:8-10; Gal. 1:13-16] Because of the immense amount of suffering that he has created upon the Church, he possessed a large amount of gratitude towards Jesus for the mercy that had been shown toward him.

When Paul mentioned that "the grace of Our Lord overflowed for (him) with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus, he omitted the virtue of hope. This is because faith and love are primary virtues that identify the Christian. The virtues of faith and love are mentioned alone in other places in the Holy Bible. [Eph. 3:17, 6:23; Phlm. 5] In other instances, such as in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and 1 Corinthians 13:13, all three virtues are mentioned together.

In verse 15 of the same Second Reading, Paul said "that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." [1 Tim. 1:15] This truth was affirmed by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke where I read, "For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost." [Lk. 19:10]

When St. Paul identified himself as the foremost of sinners, [1 Tim. 1:15] he was depicting humility. A similar passage is found in his Letter to the Ephesians where he said, "I am the very least of all the saints (Christians)." [Eph. 3:8]

When reviewing the first chapter of this Letter, it becomes obvious that Paul was telling his listeners that since he had been the greatest of sinners and yet, God has shown great mercy towards him, then this should be sufficient reasons for lesser sinners to convert. His conversion was the type of example that touches the heart and reason. There is no arguing that if God could show such great mercy towards St. Paul after all what he had done to the Church, therefore God would surely show equal mercy to other sinners who convert with a sincerity of heart.

Today's reading from the Gospel of Luke [Lk. 15:1-32] also speaks of the mercy of God. In this case, three parables are given to declare to magnitude of the mercy of God. These are the parables of the "Lost Sheep," [Lk. 15:3-7] of the "Lost Coin," [Lk. 15:8-10] and of the "Prodigal Son." [Lk. 15:11-32]

What brought about these parables is that the type of people who were coming to listen to Jesus, the tax collectors and sinners, drew criticism on the part of the Pharisees and the scribes. [Lk. 15:1] they were grumbling because Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them. Poor Jesus, it did not matter what He did, there was always someone complaining about Him.

The first parable of the Lost Sheep that is found in two other Gospels [Mt. 18:12-14; Jn. 10:1-21] echoes the prophecy of Ezechiel regarding the incarnation of God. "For thus says the Lord God; I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flock when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries... I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice." [Ezek. 34:11- 16]

God incarnated in Jesus Christ did not come to save those who were already saved, but rather the sinners who needed to be saved.

The second Parable of the Lost Coin relates to us how valuable we are to God. As the woman greatly rejoiced when she found her lost coin, calling together her friends and neighbours, so it is in Heaven. When a soul has a change of heart and consequently receives its salvation through the grace of God that has been manifested through it, the angels rejoice in Heaven in the Presence of God. God has created so many angels that some of them must have been created just to sing Divine praises upon hearing that a soul has been saved. Alleluia!

The last parable of the Lost Son is also known as the parable of the "Prodigal Son." Again, we see the mercy of God at work in this example. The father had two sons and the youngest of the two wanted his share of the property so he could go and enjoy it. In those days, a father could abdicate before his death and divide his wealth if he chose to do so. [1 Kgs. 1-2; Sir. 33;19-23] So the father divided his property between his two sons. [Lk. 15:12]

Verse 13 tells us that after having travelled to a distant country, the youngest son squandered his property in dissolute living. [Lk. 15:13] In verse 30, the oldest son explains in clear terms how the property was squandered. The youngest son had wasted his property with prostitutes.

Then we heard that when the youngest son ran out of money, he turned to raising pigs and went hungry. At this point, seeing that the pigs were eating better than himself, the son must have stolen his food in order to survive. When his future looked hopeless, he experienced a change of heart. He decided to return to his father and admit to him that he had sinned against Heaven and his person. He was even prepared to be disown as a son and humble himself as a hired hand.

For the son to expect his father to show goodness towards him, he must have had fond memories of his father as a loving and caring man. After all, if his father had been an old grouch, the son would not have dared approach him, knowing that he never would have heard the end of his foolishness. But this was not the case. The love of the father had been instilled in the son, even before he had left or considered returning.

As we heard, the son returned home, the father welcomed him back and his brother resented the treatment that the father gave to his lost son. So upset was the older brother that when he spoke to his father, he would not even call him "father" as the younger son had done. (v. 21) When he spoke of his brother, he referred to him as "this one" instead of saying "my brother." (v. 30) Here we see a son, the oldest one, who thinks he is so holy and perfect while his brother is dirt in his eyes. Woe to those who judge! True holiness and perfection embraces love and mercy.

The Gospel Reading finished with the words, "this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found." [Lk. 15:32] Truly, I tell you, this younger brother was eternally lost until he came to his senses. Before that happened, he had to lose everything he had. That is good! Because had he remained rich to the day that he would have died, he would have gone straight to hell. By the grace of God, He was saved because of his poverty and his suffering. Through poverty and suffering, he experienced a change of heart and obtained the mercy of God.

Like all of the aforementioned, God's people in the days of Moses, St. Paul, the shepherd who lost one of his one hundred sheep, the lady who lost her coin and the father who lost his son, we all have a complete dependence on the mercy of God. Some of us may need more grace and mercy from God than others because we truly are greater sinners. But no matter how great a sinner one is, there is always time to turn back because Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us pray for those who have fallen away from the grace of God so that Divine mercy may reach out to them before it is too late. May their ears be opened so they will hear that Jesus is welcoming them back home.

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"At the tope of Mount Sinai, the Lord said to Moses, 'Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!''

The Lord said to Moses, 'I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.'

But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, 'O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, 'I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'

And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people." [Exo. 32:7-11, 13-14]

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Second Reading...

"I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.

But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the foremost.

But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life.

To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen" [1 Tim. 1:12-17]

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Gospel Reading...

"All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, 'This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.'

So Jesus told them a parable: 'Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety righteous persons who need no repentance.

Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.'

Then Jesus said, 'There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So the father divided his property between them.'

A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property to dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. The young man would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.

But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son: treat me like one of your hired hands.''

So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe - the best one - and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!; And they began to celebrate.

Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. The salve replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.'

Then the elder son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you,z and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!'

Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found." [Lk. 15:1- 32]

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